Apparatus for making molasses feed.



No. 854,159. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907, S. L. FRASER. APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOLASSES FEED.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. a, 1903.

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WITNESSES:

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PATENTED MAY 21, 1907. S. L. FRASER. APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOLASSES FEED.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1903.

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7 By Aflorneys, /I M /%WL sPENcE L. FRASER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOLASSES FEED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907'.

Application filed December 8, 1903. Serial Not 184.364.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SPENoER L. FRASER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Molasses Feed, of which the following is a specification.

v In a'prior patent, No. 704,530, granted to me July 15, 1902, I have described a stock feed consisting of a mixture of a finely divided fibrous or absorbent base material with molasses, and a process of making the same. My present invention provides an apparatus-for making feed of this general type. In my prior patent above referred to the complete process required several days time.

- By my present apparatusl am' enabled to terial into a mixing vessel.

make the feed complete and ready for final grinding (Where it is to be ground) in a very short time. My present machine alsofinishes the preparation of thefeed in one con-' tinuous process and handles the material au tomatically throughout. It therefore enables me to produce the feed more cheaply and of a more uniform quality than by the apparatus previously. used.

My improved apparatus includes means for heating the molasses and for feeding the heated molasses together with the'base ma- Means are provided also for heating this vessel so as to maintain the fluidity of the molasses and for stirring the material at the same time and gradually conveying it to the end of the mixing vessel. At the end of the mixing vessel the thoroughly mixed material is received into another vessel which in construction may be the same as the mixing vessel and fwhich may in fact be'a continuation of the same, but which serves the purpose of gradu ally drying the material until it ceases to be sticky,'the molasses being gradually absorbed into the base and the water evaporated. An

spoil the important step in this last drying or cur- 'ing operation is the continual stirring of the productto prevent its forming lumps which, not dryin on the inside, become sour and feed so that cattle refuse to eat it. For this reason the drier is also provided with a stirring device which breaks up the lumpsas fast as they form. Means are also provided for conveying the material as it is dried gradually to the end of the apparatus where it may be discharged into bags; or Where it is to be further ground jit may be discharged into a chute leading to a grinding mill of any suitable type. Various other improvementsin detail are specified hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a detail.

Referring to the drawings, A is the molasses inlet and B the feed inlet. The molasses enters first a tank 0 within which is a coil D for the circulation of steam, hot water or other heating medium. The bottom of the tank C is inclined, and at its lower end is a discharge spout E. The molasses from the spout E enters a box IE having a perforated bottom, or by anyother suitable means is showered or sprayed on to the stirring base material and thus thoroughly and evenly mixed therewith. The base material and the molasses entering in small streams are quite well mixed and only a slight further stirring is necessary. For this purpose a shaft Gr extends lengthwise of the trough F carrying mixing blades H and combined mixing and conveying blades J extending the entire length of the trough. In order that the molasses shall be kept quite 'lluid so as to facilitate its thorough admixture with the base material the trough F is provided with a jacket K for steam, hot water or the like. At the rear end of the trough F there is provided a chute L through which the thoroughly mixed material falls.

Arranged in a series below the trough F are a number of similar troughs MN 0 P. These may be arranged in various ways notnecessary to describe in detail, but are preferably arranged one above the other, as shown, for the sake of compactness and in order to secure a variation in the speed of the sive troughs discharge at alternate ends asshown into the nextlower trough, and the alternate direction of rotation of the shafts for eflccting the alternate dlri'retiou of conveyance of the materialis produced by driving the shafts in alternate directions, as indicated, by the belt Q, Fig. 3', driven from any suitable source such as a driving pulley R. The speed of rotation of the shaft G of the uppermost or mixing trough is more rapid than that of the other shafts, since the latter serve chiefly for the breaking up of lumps and the gradual drying and conveying of the material while theshaft G serves for thoroughly mixing the ingredients so that each particle of the base material shall receive a portion of the molasses as far as possible. I may also drive the shafts of the lowest two troughs O and P at a lower rate than those of the intermediate troughs M and.N so that at the end the material shall be retained longer in the trough and more thoroughly dried. It is understood that the troughs M N O and P are provided withjackets K for steam or other heating medium for effecting the drying.

Any suitable arrangement of steam or hot water pipes may be used. As illustrated a main steam pipe S extends up along one end of the complete apparatus and is provided with branches to thecoil D' and the several jackets, which coil and jackets discharge at the opposite ends of the troughs into a common discharge pipe T, suitable valves being provided for limiting or cutting off the steam or hot water. The discharge pipe U from the coil D and those from the jackets are shown of the style suitable for hot water. For steam they should run continuously downward from the coil or jacket to the common discharge pipe T so as to avoid the formation of a trap for the water of condensation.

The nature of the material is such that it is apt to stick on the mixing blades. In order to clean the blades I provide in the upper part of each trough a longitudinally extending perforated pipe V, the perforations being directed toward the mixing blades. These pipes are connected to the main supply pipe S. Upon the completion of a batch offeed steam may be admitted to these jet pipes, which by its force and by its heat will wash off the blades and wash the remaining material down through the apparatus.

A device for preventing the splashing of the feed out of the trough isindicated in Fig. 4, and though not essential is of considerable value. It also serves to confine the heat to some extent. It consists of an apron or door W hinged at one edge and adapted to be swung upward to close the space between two adjacent troughs or to be swung downward to permit inspection of the troughs. Its free edge'is cut out at intervals as indicated at X for allowing the escape of the moisture arising from the feed in the troughs.

Preferably-the entire apparatus isinclosed in a casing or box Y of asbestos orsimilar nonconducting material to prevent the waste other suitable supports as indicated, leaving space for bags a to be placed under the discharge chute b-of the lowest trough.

The apparatus might be used without the initial heating tank C, the molasses being previously of a suitable degree of liquidity, or where a small quantity of feed is to be made the heat in the mixing trough F mightbe depended upon to render the molasses sufliciently fluid as well as to maintain it so.

Though I'have described with great particularity of detail a complete apparatus embodying my invention, yetit is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific apparatus disclosed.

Various modifications in detail and in the arrangement and combination of the arts may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention.

What I claim is I 1. An apparatus for making molasses feed, including in combination a tank 0, a heating coil therein, a trough F, a shaft'therein carry-- ing conveying and mixing blades, a heating jacket for said trough, means for feeding molasses into said tank C, means for feeding fresh base material and the molasses from said tank simultaneously into said trough F, a series of troughs M N O and P, shafts therein carrying stirring-and conveying blades, heating j ackets for said troughs M N O and P,' and means for feeding the mixed material from said trough F through'said troughs M N O and P in succession. i I

2. An apparatus for making molasses feed, including in combination a tank 0, a heating coil therein, a trough F, a shaft therein carrying conveying and mixing blades,,a heating jacket for said trough, means for feeding molasses into said tank C, means for feeding fresh base material and the molasses from said tank simultaneously into said trough F,

a series of troughs M N O and P, shafts therein carryingstirring and conveying blades, heating jackets for said troughs MN 0 and P, and means for rotatingthe shaft of said trough F more rapidly than the shafts of said troughs M N O and P.

3. An apparatus for making molasses feed,

including in combination a plurality of troughs one above another, stirring blades carried therein, and movable aprons ar- I ZC ranged to close the space between two successive troughs.

4. An apparatus for making molasses feed including in combination a tank C, a heating coil therein, a trough F, a shaft therein carrying conveying and mixing blades, a heating acket for said trough, means for feeding molasses into-said tank (3, a perforatcd box'E I re means for feeding the material through said between said tank 0 and said trough F,

means for feeding molasses from said tank C to said box E and thence through said per-- forations in a spray or shower into said 5 trough F, and means for simultaneously feeding fresh basematerial into said trough.

5. An apparatus for making molasses feed including 1n combination a mixer for mixing the molasses with a base, a plurality of driers,

mixer and into and through each of said driers in succession, means for heating said driers, and means for separately controlling the temperatures therein.

6. An apparatus for making molasses feed including in combination a mixer for mixing the molasses with a base, a drier for bringing the mass to a nonsticky condition and pre- I ventingthe formation of ,lumps, means for i 20 feeding the material through said mixer and drier in succession, means for heating said mixer and drier, and means for separately controlling the temperatures therein.

7. An apparatus for making molasses feed including 1n combination a heating tank for increasing the fluidity of the molasses, a mixer for maintaining the fluidity thereof and mixing it with a base, means for feeding the material from said tank to said mixer, means for heating the material in said tank and said mixer, and means for separately controlling the temperatures therein.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto si ned my name in the presence of two subscri ing Witnesses.

SPENCER L. FRASER.

Witnesses:

J. HANS PEN, SAMUEL W. PoLKEY. 

